AVIATION HISTORY FROM DREAM TO REALITY
By Glynn Burrows
So many of us rely on planes to get us from A to B these days, but, after some recent visits with guests to a local museum, I have been thinking about just how quickly things have changed over the last century.
It was only just over 120 years ago that a man first flew in a plane and yet today, it is a common occurrence for many of us and we give little thought to the advancement from that lightweight wood and muslin flying machine to an empty 747 weighing in at over 400,000lbs. (The maximum weight of a fully laden 747 is over 900,000lbs.)
How did we get so advanced so quickly? Well, as is often found, it is a case of necessity being the mother of invention.
During WWI the speed of development was astounding, with the first manned powered flight in 1903 and just eleven years later, aircraft were being used for reconnaissance in warfare and a year later, for combat.
By the end of WWI, aircraft were regularly being used to drop bombs as well as artillery.
Between WWI and WWII aircraft continued to be developed and 1919 saw the first flight across the Atlantic and 1924 the first round the world flight. That is just over twenty years between the first flight of just 120 feet to the first flight around the globe!
During WWII aircraft continued to develop with mind-blowing speed and by the end of the War, we had aircraft which could carry massive payloads, aircraft which could maneuver with speed and, even though the jet engine was being developed before the war, we were even seeing the use of the jet engine in higher aircraft.
So, next time you get on board a plane, just think about those 40 years from 1903 to 1943, when manned flight moved from the ridiculous dream to frightening reality.
Read Glynn’s article and hear his Big Blend Radio interview about the US WWII Airfields in Norfolk, England.
Glynn provides customized, private tours and also helps his clients trace their English family history. Past guests have visited and experienced stately houses and gardens, castles and churches, ruins and villages, birding and wildlife, World War II airfields, and general area taster tours too. Accommodations can be in all types of establishment, from character buildings such as windmills, thatched cottages and castles, self-catering or five star luxury – just say what you want and it can be arranged. Nothing is too much trouble for Glynn! Visit www.Norfolk-Tours.co.uk
